Peppermint Collective
by papernoted
Summary: Lee's praise was simply too flamboyant and flowery. It was practically fragrant; and for that reason and that reason only, Sasuke felt himself wrinkle his nose in distaste. One-shot collection. Various Pairings. SasuSaku. NaruSaku. ShikaIno. NejTen.
1. Insufficient Discourse

**Peppermint Collective**

**Chapter 1:** Insufficient Discourse

**Candid:**

Lee's praise was simply too flamboyant and flowery. It was practically _fragrant_; and for that reason and that reason _only,_ Sasuke felt himself wrinkle his nose in distaste.

**Extrapolate: **

Naruto froze in disbelief from his place in his cot. The campfire had provided him with _just_ enough light to notice Sasuke waver, then steadily drape a second blanket over Sakura's sleeping form while she dozed during his night-watch.

**Conjecture: **

Sakura busied herself with Sasuke's bandages, completely unaware of both the sly smile Naruto had working its way across his face and the glower Sasuke shot in rebuke from his place on the hospital bed.

**Euphemism: **

She ran her hands down the fabric of her dress a second time; outfitted with no less than four different disguises, this mission had certainly rung among their most elaborate. Holding her breath as she stepped out of the bathroom, Sakura watched Sasuke's head turn to freeze on her figure, eyes lingering somewhere on her outstretched legs before turning abruptly at the sound of Naruto's voice from the stairway.

"Sakura-chan! Wow—you look great!"

Flustered, Sakura smiled and turned to look somewhere to her left, failing to register the pink colouring Sasuke's ears or his near-silent hum in agreement.

**Didactic: **

Sasuke was hardly a drinker but even then, the buzz of alcohol had not been enough to loosen his tongue.

"You really should bring her here sometime." Sasuke faltered, and Kakashi grinned. Sharingan or not, he would always be skilled enough to read between the lines.

**Incoherent: **

Her memories of the night before were faint—a wash of thrumming music and coloured lights—but the extra crook in Kiba's smile and her team's reserve the day after sent her pleading at the foot of Tsunade's desk: She _really_ needed to call Ino.

**Insinuate: **

Sakura wasn't sure what to make of the arm Kiba had draped across her shoulders, the casual invitation he'd offered for lunch, or the expression Sasuke had made when she'd mentioned either to her teammates over tea the next day.

**Rhetoric: **

She'd only just exited the ER, had imprints the colour of bruised peaches under her eyes, and reeked of blood. Regardless, he'd let her collapse against his chest, held her with both arms, and waited with her—whispering words she only half-remembers—until she'd found it in herself to walk home. He promised to hold her steady. It seemed to be all she needed to hear.

**Lucid: **

He hadn't intended to see it. He hadn't even realized Sakura was off work that evening. But when Sasuke had chanced upon the two outside her apartment—Kiba's hands on her waist and her arms in his hair—he'd felt with an acute dread like he'd stumbled in on his own personal nightmare, once again.

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**A/N: **Poor Sasuke. To be continued? This will be a drabble collection comprised of mostly unrelated pieces. While there will be updates, this chapter could just as easily stand as a one-shot.

I can't honestly say I'm satisfied with the last line of this thing. If you have any pointers or constructive criticism, please comment- the box is right there! (See if you can guess where the prompts are from! Well known word-list, I can tell you that much...)

All the best,

**papernoted**


	2. Rudimentary Stirs

**Peppermint Collective **

**Chapter 2:** Rudimentary Stirs

**Husbandry: **

Genin missions were typically deplored by team ten. Cat chasing and weed picking were hardly what they'd expected when Iruka-sensi had handed them their hitai-ate, but it was on particularly sunny days like this one where Ino would sport her skirt and tank ensemble rather than her dress and arm warmers that Shikamaru found them _somewhat _bearable.

**Circumspect:**

He tried his best not to register the look of hurt that crossed her face when he'd said no. He hadn't been completely familiar with every facet of what the mind transfer jutsu entailed, but when she'd casually asked if she could practice on him he'd frozen. There would be no way to hide it; the risk couldn't have been worth it.

**Precocious:**

Around the same time she'd mastered the jutsu—faster than any Yakama had in her family—he'd mastered the act of catching her so she was surreptitiously arranged in his arms, his hand at her waist and her cheek against his collar.

**Disseminate: **

With her hair shorn all across the floor, Shika couldn't help but think the vain little girl he'd met in the academy had suddenly looked so startlingly elegant, so startling mature, and so many times more startlingly beautiful than he'd ever seen her before.

**Adroit; Acumen:**

Shikamaru made Chunin before all of them had. Ino had dropped her kunai at the news; Choji had gaped, and then congratulated him.

"Shika—wow, that's great." Her tone was light, but her eyes were distant as she drew closer. Shikamaru watched her raise her arms, hugging him in compliments. Patting her back, he muttered thanks in response, but knew she would leave practice at least a half hour early to pour over her own textbooks until morning.

**Erudition:**

Little known to most of rookie nine, Ino had the tendency to study voraciously some nights. Watching her push herself to dawn for the sixth time in two weeks, Inochi's temper boiled over. Demanding to know the root of her behaviour, he raised his voice, arms grasping her shoulders with fervour.

Straw hair astray but eyes glinting with determination, "Dad—" she all but growled in response. "I _can_ handle this. I'm just as intelligent as him and I _will not be left behind._"

**Ascertain:**

It wasn't until the ninth time Choji had caught Shikamaru glancing at Ino over dinner that he'd realized academic interests had little to do with the way he'd occasionally feel like the third wheel of the team.

**Pedantic:**

Choji and Shikamaru whipped their heads to regard Ino incredulously after she'd delivered the news. What would have otherwise been a perfectly relaxing end to their training session was brought to a boisterous close as they gaped at her, Shikamaru with a slight glower in his eye, before Choji choked out: "…Did you just say Sai? But why _Sai?_"

"Because, Choji, he's a perfectly nice guy."

"Really, though? _Sai,_ Ino?"

"Yes! And because I wanted to go, and nobody else would have asked me."

"You could have gone without a date." Shika piqued lowly from her left, and Ino drew herself up to look at him, eyebrows lightly furrowed and voice just a little thick with venom.

"Yes Shika, I could have, but when but _when someone cares_ enough to ask me to accompany them as their date, _I_ have enough tact to say yes."

**Perspicacious; Astute: **

The fourth or so time Shikamaru had lost track of the target and the second time Ino had slipped up on getting information from the inn keeper and villagers, Azuma sent Choji into town and busied himself shopping for new weaponry, hoping desperately his students would have things resolved by noon.

**Pragmatic:**

The look Azuma gave him as he'd left spelled it out for him—talk it out, apologize to her, _fix this_—but when Choji and their sensi returned just before lunch to the sight of Ino's arms around Shikamaru's neck, his mouth solidly against her's, Shikamaru wondered whether this had been anything like what Azuma'd had in mind.

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**A/N:**Please Comment.


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